Five masterly dramatic works by one of the world's most beloved playwrights, Anton Chekhov's Plays is translated with notes by Peter Carson and includes an introduction by Richard Gilman in the category of Penguin Classics.

In an era when Russian theater is dominated by formulaic melodramas and farces, Chekhov created a new form of dramas that reveal the everyday lives, loves, and desires of ordinary people. Ivanov depicts a man drowning in inertia and lost idealism, while The Seagull contrasts the selfish romanticism of a youth with the indifference of a woman harshly abandoned by her beloved.

With the "scenes from provincial life" in Uncle Vanya, his first fully mature play, Chekhov developed his own unique dramatic world, which is neither tragedy nor comedy. In Three Sisters, the Prozorov sisters dream endlessly of going to Moscow to escape from the monotony of provincial life, while the comedy The Cherry Orchard portrays characters struggling in vain to hold on to the past as their land is sold from under them.

Peter Carson's touching translations convey Chekhov's evocative mix of comedy, tragedy, and psychological insight. In his introduction, Richard Gilman examines how Chekhov departed from theatrical conventions and analyzes each play in detail.

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) was born in Taganrog, a port on the Sea of Azov. In 1879, he traveled to Moscow, where he entered the medical school of the university, graduating in 1884, and during his student years, he supported his family by contributing humorous stories and sketches to magazines. He published his first volume of stories, Motley Tales, in 1886 and a year later the second volume, In the Twilight, for which he received the Pushkin Prize. Today, his works such as Uncle Vanya, The Seagull, and The Cherry Orchard are recognized as masterpieces worldwide.

If you liked Plays, you might also be interested in Chekhov's The Shooting Party, also available in the category of Penguin Classics.

Pages: 416, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm